BILLINGS, Mont. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team battled back from a 14-point deficit to take a lead late in the second half, but couldn't complete the comeback effort in a 86-79 road loss to Montana State Billings Thursday evening in Alterowitz Gym. 

The Vikings completed the regular season with a 18-10 overall record and are currently alone in 2^ndplace in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 13-7. Depending on outcomes of games during the final day of the regular season on Saturday, WWU could lock up a first-round bye. WWU needs either a Saint Martin's win over Northwest Nazarene or a Alaska Fairbanks victory over Western Oregon to secure the No. 2 seed.

WWU had its four-game winning streak snapped in the seven-point loss to the Yellowjackets. The Vikings trailed by as many as 14 points in the game and were down double-digits in the second half until making a comeback run. Western used a 27-12 spurt over an 11-minute stretch to erase the deficit and take a 62-59 lead with 6:09 remaining in the game.

The Yellowjackets used hot perimeter shooting to go on a 10-0 run and used four 3-pointers by Tyler Green down the stretch to hold off the Vikings.

Senior guard Siaan Rojas led four Vikings in double-figure scoring, tallying 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting (3-for-6 3FG). Senior forward Trevor Jasinsky added 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting before fouling out with just over four minutes remaining in the contest. Senior Cameron Retherford scored 11 points with 5 Rebounds in a starting role and junior Luke Lovelady added 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting off the bench. Senior center Logan Schilder finished with a team-high 11 rebounds and recorded a pair of blocked shots.

The Vikings played without sophomore guard/forward Jalen Green due to injury, who came into the game averaging 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. WWU has now used nine different starting lineups this season.

MSUB (11-16, 6-13 GNAC) was led by a game-high 25 points from Green, who was 9-for-10 from the field and finished 6-for-7 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Brendan Howard nearly reached a double-double with 9 points and 12 rebounds.

Overall the Yellowjackets shot 52.7% from the field (29-for-55) for their second-best shooting performance of the season and were 15-for-26 (57.7%) from beyond the arc.

WWU (18-10, 13-7 GNAC) will wait to find out the seeding and game schedule for the 2020 GNAC Basketball Championships that open play next Thursday, March 5, at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle. If the Vikings are able to secure the No. 2 seed, they will join Seattle Pacific with first-round byes. All games during the GNAC Tournament will stream live via GNAC.tv.

While WWU currently has a hold on 2^nd place in the GNAC by percentage points at 13-7, this is where it gets interesting when figuring out the tiebreaker scenarios for seeding in the GNAC Championships. If NNU and WOU (both currently 12-7) win on Saturday (NNU plays at Saint Martin's, WOU vs. Alaska Fairbanks), then there will be a three-way tie for 2^nd place. NNU would gain the first-round bye earning the No. 2 seed by virtue of a 3-1 record vs. WWU and WOU (WWU would be 2-2 vs. WOU and NNU, WOU would be 1-3 vs. WWU and NNU). If either NNU or WOU lose on Saturday, the Vikings would secure the No. 2 seed as a two-way tiebreaker is broken by head-to-head record first (would be 1-1 vs. both teams) and then best record vs. teams with a .750 or better conference record (WWU is only team in this scenario to beat Seattle Pacific). If you are still with us, then we applaud you, but checkGNACSports.com for the official tiebreaker scenario.

The Vikings joined Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene as three of the six teams that have clinched a spot in the 2020 GNAC Men's Basketball Championships that will be played March 5-7 at Brougham Pavilion on the campus of SPU. WWU has now advanced to play in the GNAC Championships in eight of the nine tournaments since it debuted in 2010-11, recording a 7-7 record.

The Vikings and Yellowjackets split the season series, with each team winning on their home court. WWU defeated MSUB 86-62 on Dec. 7 in Carver Gym. WWU leads the all-time series 24-8, but has lost three of the last four and two consecutive in Billings. 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings through the games played on Thursday, with the Vikings remaining in 2^nd place in the conference standings by percentage points with a 13-7 record. WWU has already clinched a spot in the GNAC Championships that will be played March 5-7 at Seattle Pacific's Royal Brougham Pavilion and will find out its final seed after the regular season is complete on Saturday evening.

Senior Trevor Jasinsky continues to climb the WWU all-time scoring list, moving into the program top-10 list for scoring with 1,466 points. Jasinsky is now 9^th in WWU history, scoring his 1,479 points in 118 career games (12.5 points per game). He is now one of just five players in program history to rank in the top 10 in both total points and total rebounds, also listed 7^th in program history with 580 career boards. He joins Jeffrey Parker (1867 pts, 545 reb), Mike Palm (1649 pts, 874 reb), Grant Dykstra (1844 pts, 576 reb) and Harold Doyal (1571 pts, 657 reb) as the players that rank in the top 10 in both points and rebounds in WWU history.

Fans can follow the men's basketball team online at WWUVikings.com/MBB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUHoops) and Facebook (@WWUmensbball). You can also get game updates by following the @WWUAthletics Twitter.

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 11 seasons. WWU is a six-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and has appeared in the NCAA II Elite 8 three times. The Vikings won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Championship and advanced the following season to the NCAA II Final Four. Western has 20-win seasons in two of the last three years, including a 25-6 record in 2016-17 where it won the GNAC regular season and conference championships title. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,512 victories.